The Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee submitted a policy statement recently and asked for the public to submit comments. VOR found several points of agreement, and several policies that we believe should be expanded to ensure that they cover the needs of the entire community of people with I/DD, not only those who receive waiver services or participate in competitive integrated employment.
To view the E&C Republicans' policy statement,
click here.To view VOR's comments, please
click here.
To view our supplementary materials, click on the links below.
Due to the shortage of Direct Support Professionals during the Covid Pandemic, the State of Oregon responded to the public health emergency by paying parent caregivers to stay home and provide care for their family membrs with I/DD and autism. As these provisions are set to expire soon, families have reached out, requesting that this program be made permanent.
VOR wrote a letter in support of this initiative, as this extends the choices that families may make in caring for their loved ones. Read VOR's letter supporting family caregivers here.
VOR has recently joined forces with the Coalition to Protect 14c, a group of advocates dedicated to preserving employment opportunities for people with I/DD for whom competitive integrated employment may not be an option.
The Coalition has recently released a white paper outlining their position, and VOR members have been actively engaged in meeting with congressional staffers in support of the preservation of these employment opportunities for people with I/DD and Autism.
On July 4, 2021, David Axelrod wrote guest essay to the NY Times entitled "When It Comes To People Like My Daughter, One Size Does Not Fit All".
The link to Mr. Axelrod's letter may be found here.
In March, 2020 VOR's Legislative Committee sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, asking for an opportunity to provide testimony from families whose loved ones’ interests, health and welfare are directly impacted by the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Program.
VOR continues to speak out about the shortcomings of MFP, and the manner in which it has been used to undermine Intermediate Care Facilities and to deny individuals and families their right to choose ICF care.
Read VOR's March 12, 2020 letter here
Read VOR's July 23, 2019 letter here
In a petition dated June 23, 2020 filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the ACLU, SEIU, and several partner groups outlined concerns with the federal response to the novel coronavirus epidemic and used these concerns to call for a 50 percent reduction in congregate care nationwide. The petitioners defined congregate care to include nursing homes, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICFs/IID), psychiatric facilities, and home and community-based services (HCBS) group homes.
On July 1st, VOR issued a firm response in opposition to ACLU and SEUI’s irresponsible and unreasonable demand which would remove all forms of long-term care for the elderly and persons with mental disabilities, except for the family home or private residence.
